Automatic balancing device for flying-machines.



A. G. MATTESON. AUTOMATIC BALANCING DEVICE FOR FLYING MAGHINEKAPPLICATION FILED AUG. 23, 1911.

L LQQS g Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

decrea set i,

ARCHIBALD GEORGE MATTESON, 0F VENTURA, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING DEVICE FOR FLYING-MACHINES Specification of LettersPatent.

rammed Jan. 13, 1 914.

Application filed August 28, 1911. Serial No. 645,647.

To all 11.7]! cm it may concern:

lie it known that l, Ancmnano Gannon Mivr'ri-ison, a citizen of theUnited States, rcsiding at Ventura, in the county of Ventura and Stateof; California, have invented a new and useful Improvement; in Automaticlialam-ing Devices for Flyingdiiachines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a combination of mechanical principles wherebyperfect equilibrium or balance permanently maintained by the propellingforce which is auton'iatically and mechanically controlled; and theobject of my invention is, first to provide asystem of maintainingequilibrium or balance by mechanical means which operates automatically;second, to afford facilities for acontinuous flight-and operation of themachine by the use of one or more power plants or engines, drivingseparate sets of propellers working independently of each other; eitherseparate and independent set of which is capable of maintaining aut0-matic, mechanical. equilibrium or balance and continuous operation andflight of the machine, to the exclusion or stopping of one set ofpropellers and their driving power; third, my object is to reduce thenecessary functions of the driver or aviator, concerning the maintenanceof equilibrium or balance during flight to the smallest pos sible degreeby utilizing the drivers weight, which is a permanent factor acted uponby gravity, to control the line of draft or pull of the propellers, ofwhich there are two to each setlocatcd, one on each side of the machine(right and left: of driver, facing; ahead) on an angle either up ordown, the automatic act-ion forces this change of angle of bothpropeller shafts or line of pull simultaneously, one with the other witha positive degree of action, more or less as the case maybe, dependingentirely and exactly upon the existing tendency of flying machines tolose their equilibrium or balance, this change of logic is soaccomplishcd by the automatic device that while one propeller shaftangle is iizci'iascd the angle of the other or mate to this pair or set,By this means the driving power or engine of the machine is utilized toaccomplish the task of maintaining equilibrium or balance. I attainthese objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanving drawing.in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the machine. Fig. 2 is an end viewof the machine.

Similar letters refer to similar throughout the several views.

Letter Z represents the frame member of a flying machineto which Isecure bearing blocks 22, which support my entire automatic balancingmechanism from the shaft 7' which has aired to it the two vertical postsI) I) which carry a platform 0 at the bottom, upon which the driver sitsor rides. This platform is free to move or swing as a pendulum from sideto side by turning its supporting shaft in its bearings Z. This shaftalso has secured to it the lever or member a which projects to both endsof the machine and operatesvin conjunction with the drivers platform.

parts The wires 7) act as braces or trusses to brace and compel thelever a to act positively with the pendulum action of the driversplatform or car. Connecting rods (Z are attached to the ends of member awhich actuate lever e, to which are connected rods f, Fig. 2, whichoperate the propeller shaft housings 9 either up or down. A bevelgearing in housing It transmits the motive power from the motor shaft atright angles to propeller shafts. The bearings 2' support the bevel gearhousings hand allow them freely to move. The shaft 1: is revolved by thehand wheel a which operates the sprocket wheels r by the s 'iroclcetchain 1 This action is for hand control of a balai'icing plane formingcopending application, filed by .uc Sept. '12, 1919, Scr. No. 720,072.

The action of the machine is to counteract any ditl'erence of level bythe power of the engines as when one end of the machine should be blownupward the pendulum action of the drivers weight would maintain aperpendicular position which would cause the propeller shaft angle onthe high end of the machine to be decreased and the propeller shaftangle on the low end of the machine to be increased which brings theentire craft back to its correct position and as the machine gains itsposition the prepeller shaft angles assume their correct positions withabsolute precision without the least eflfort on the aviators part. i

I claim:

1. A lateral stability mechanism for aeroplanes including a pair ofpropellers arranged adjacent each side of the machine, each pairincluding a forward propeller and arear propeller, of means relativelymovable With respect to the aeroplane structure through the influence ofgravity for inducing relatively vertical movement of all of saidpropellers, said means moving the respective propellers of each pair inopposition to each other, and the similar propellers of each pair inopposition to the lateral -i'ii'clination of the aeroplane structurewith regard to the driving power of such propellers, whereby the rearpropellers of each pair are operated to force the aeroplane to abalanced position and the forward propellers operated to draw it to abalanced position.

2. The combination with a lateral stability mechanism includingoppositelyarranged propellers capable of vertical movement independentlyof the aeroplane structure, of a lever pivotally mounted upon theaeroplane structure, links connecting the respective propeller shaftswith the lever on opposite sides of the pivot, a drivers seat mountedfor swinging movement, an arm connected to and operated in the movementof the seat, and a connection bet-ween said arm and lever, whereby inthe movement of the seat the lever is actuated to reversely operate thepropellers.

3. An aeroplane including oppositelyv arranged pairs of propellers, alever pivotally mounted on the aeroplane adjacent each pair ofpropellers, links connecting each lever with the propellers of theadjacent pair, said links being arranged on opposite sides of the leverpivot, a drivers seat mounted for swinging movement, an arm centrallyconnected to the seat and having its free end movable in oppositedirections under the influence of the seat movement, and linksconnecting the respective ends of the arm with the adjacent levers,whereby in the movemcnt of the seat the respective propellers of eachpair and the similar propellers of each pair are moved in opposition toeach other. ARCHIBALD GEORGE MATTESON, \Vitnesses Rosnn'r M. CLARKE, C.L. CHRISMAN.

